Mike Krzyzewski, head coach at Duke University, said in a statement college basketball “is losing one of its greatest coaches and a man who genuinely cares about the game of basketball, and more importantly, the people who play it.” “I’m proud of the way he carried on the tradition of Coach Smith’s program, always putting his players first.” “His great success on the court is truly matched by the impact he had on the lives of the players he coached – including me,” Jordan’s statement read. UNC legend Michael Jordan said Williams “is and always will be a Carolina basketball legend.” Roy Williams delivered championship-level excellence on and off the court with /u4ju84CBbW- NCAA March Madness April 1, 2021 ![]() UNC Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham said Williams’ ability to run the basketball program and be so down-to-earth were “truly incredible.” “Nobody has loved this university like Roy Williams,” Guskiewicz said. Guskiewicz said Thursday “there will never be another coach like him.” North Carolina ended this season with a 18-11 record, bowing out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament with a loss to Wisconsin.Ĭollege coaches, former players across US honor Williams His Tar Heels won two more national titles – in 2009, with players including Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Danny Green, and 2017, with a roster led in scoring by Justin Jackson. Williams took over the North Carolina program in 2004 and won his first national title with the Tar Heels in 2005, with future NBA first-round picks Marvin Williams, Raymond Felton, Sean May and Rashad McCants. He then took the Kansas job in 1988 and guided the Jayhawks to four Final Fours – including in 1991, when he beat his alma mater and mentor Smith in the semifinals but lost to Duke in the final. Williams, who graduated from UNC in 1972, spent 10 years as assistant coach at North Carolina under legendary coach Dean Smith. “It’s coaching and that’s all I ever wanted to do since the summer after my ninth grade year of high school.” His 903 wins – in 18 years at UNC and 15 at Kansas – are the third most in men’s Division I by a coach, behind only Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim. “I love coaching, working with kids on the court and in the locker room…I will always love that and I’m scared to death of the next phase, but I no longer feel like I’m the right man.” Williams said that the last few seasons he felt he wasn’t able to prepare his players like once did. ![]() “I no longer feel that I am the right man for the job,” Williams said during a news conference Thursday at Chapel Hill. Roy Williams, who led North Carolina to three national championships and guided UNC and Kansas to nine Final Fours, is retiring after 33 seasons as a head coach, UNC said. I watched him coach many times, not just because it was Kansas but I enjoy watching Bill coach.One of college basketball’s all-time coaching greats is calling it a career. "But he’s just done a magnificent job and I enjoy watching him coach. Oh my gosh, he doesn’t have enough room in his office for all the conference championships and everything they’ve won. “I had asked Greg (Gurley), I said, ‘If you see Bill, get a chance, tell him to look over here because I want to make sure I wish him good luck,’” Williams said. ![]() Making the trip gave him another chance to see Bill Self, too, who he was able to get the attention of prior to the start of the game. Williams joked he hopes he lives long enough so that something like Tuesday can become an annual thing. What Williams misses about coaching, he said, isn't coaching in games. It's being around the team in the locker room, on trips and more. Sitting so close to Wayne Simien on Tuesday brought back the memory of Simien giving him a gift on Father’s Day during his final year at Kansas.Īnd maybe there can be more opportunities like that. He credits the players from those first two Jayhawks teams for taking care of him, and being the key to why he’d ultimately end up spending as many years in coaching as he did. Williams felt when he took the Kansas job back in 1988 that he wasn’t the fan base’s favorite option. As Williams spoke, he revealed how he’d become a little emotional Tuesday afternoon while he met with former players of his who were in the area.
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